Pushing Boundaries
by meganlovesdinos
Summary: When Chloe and her friends get accepted to Hogwarts for a study abroad program, they are swept up into the everyday life of Hogwarts students and all the excitement of the Triwizard Tournament. I'm bad at summaries. The main pairing is Fred/OC and I may add in some more, not sure yet. Takes place during Goblet of Fire, obviously.
1. Chapter 1: Hello, Hogwarts

**Author's Note:** I guess I should say a few things to those of you before you begin reading. First of all, this fic is OC-centric, so if you don't like it, don't read. Second of all, the main character, my OC Chloe, has a pretty dirty mouth, so there will be foul language. Just a warning. I'm not entirely sure how people are going to feel about this plot idea, so I'd really like some feedback on that, if you guys wouldn't mind. Also, along with this fic, I have another Supernatural fic I'm writing along with school and life so I'll try to update regularly, but don't be mad at me if it takes me a bit between chapters.

Chloe and Jacob are in their sixth year with the twins whereas Derek is in his fourth year with the trio, just so you guys know what's going on. Therefore, the story will take place during Goblet of Fire. I haven't read the book in years, so I'm not going to promise to follow the story line completely. The main plot points will still be there: the triwizard tournament, etc., but I'm not going to promise all my dates and everything will be exact. Just saying.

Spoiler Alert: I'm planning on the pairing being Fred and Chloe. Might as well just ask now and get it over with: I'm beginning the story in Chloe's perspective and so far I've only written from her perspective, but would you guys maybe want some chapters from Fred's perspective later on in the story? Just wondering. Let me know. Thanks :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, though I don't really think I need to tell you guys that.

* * *

I sat on my surfboard, my legs submerged in the ocean as the water rushed around me. I sighed, knowing I would have to go home soon. I still needed to pack, and I had to leave in the morning. With one last longing look at the water, I began paddling my way to the shore.

I carried the surfboard awkwardly in my right arm as I walked back to my home. I had lived here my whole life, and tomorrow I had to leave. In no way did I regret accepting the chance to study abroad, but I was still going to miss my home and the fact that the ocean was a five minute walk from my house.

I was used to the warmth, to the sun and the beach. And where was I going tomorrow? Scotland. Cold, rainy Scotland. I'd never been out of the country, and I was eager to see the world, but I knew I was eventually going to miss the warmth of the sun on my skin. Oh well, at least I would finally get some use out of the sweaters I had collected over the years.

I opened the front door to my house and walked through the living room, making my way upstairs and to my room to drop off the surfboard before returning downstairs and entering the kitchen, searching aimlessly through the fridge and cabinets for something to fill my stomach.

"Have you packed yet?" Jacob asked as I entered the kitchen.

"No," I spoke dismissively over my shoulder as I continued to search, finally settling on an apple. Jacob and his younger brother, Derek, lived with me and my family. Their mother had died when they were young, and their father had kind of gone off the deep end after that. Since my mother was good friends with their mother, she took them in and raised them as her own. We had been a family pretty much our whole lives, so they were like brothers to me.

I'm not going to lie. I'm not exactly the most innocent person out there, or the kindest. I'm sarcastic and blunt and a lot of people shy away from me because of it, but it doesn't matter much. I'm also confident and in control and, honestly, I think that's a fair trade. Besides, I already have great friends who accept me. I don't need anymore, really.

"You know we have to leave tomorrow," Jacob goaded, smirking at me from his seat at the table as I leaned against the counter eating my apple.

"I'm aware," I replied, finishing my apple and tossing the core into the garbage can as I left the kitchen and went back to my room. I didn't know where Derek was, probably meticulously checking and rechecking his lists to make sure he hadn't forgotten to pack anything. Derek and Jacob, as well as some other kids from our school, had all been given the chance to study abroad, like I said before. I was glad the two of them were coming with me. I always put up a front of collected confidence, but this was something huge and I was glad I didn't have to face it alone, not that I would ever admit that to them.

Where were we going, you might ask? Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Everybody knew about Hogwarts, it was pretty much the best school of magic in the world. My mother had been so proud when she had learned that the three of us had all been accepted to go there. She had even tried to make a video about it, sitting us down and trying to interview us. It was rather uncomfortable.

I fell back on my bed and observed the fading rays of light cast themselves over the roof, the sunset painting a picture on my ceiling. I sighed and stood, rummaging around my room, slowly packing. I had to do it eventually and now seemed as good a time as ever. I had just finished packing when my mother rang the dinner bell. Yes, you heard correctly, a dinner bell.

My family has always been large, compared to most families, at least. In addition to my mother, Jacob, Derek, and myself were my brother, Chris; his wife, Rose; their infant daughter, Faith; and my nephew, William. My mother had adopted Will after my other brother, Charles, had been deemed unfit to raise him. I descended the stairs to find the kitchen packed with people filling plates with food. Chris was balancing two plates on his arms, one for himself and one to take to Rose, as she hadn't been feeling well lately. The two lived in the guest house with Faith, and it suited their purposes well. Will was loading up his plate to maximum capacity, and I walked over before flicking him on the back of the head.

"Put some of that back, kiddo, you don't need all of that," I chastised. He whined, but I glared at him and he reluctantly put some food back, though not as much as he should have. Will had always driven me insane. He was a sweet kid, but he was stubborn and lazy and refused to listen to anything anybody had to say. He was unappreciative and most of the time I just wanted to smack the hell out of him. I can't really blame the kid, he is only ten, after all, but it still got on my nerves.

"Chloe, hey," Chris greeted, setting his two plates down and pulling me into a rushed hug. "I have to work graveyard tonight, so I won't be here to say goodbye in the morning. Be good, and have fun. Make the most of it, kay?" He smiled at me as he released me and I smiled weakly back at him. Chris and I had always been close; he was only three years older than me and we had grown up together. We had a tradition of playing video games together every Thursday night and, I had to admit, I was going to miss that, too.

I made a plate for myself and sat at the table with Jacob, Derek, Will, and my mother. Will was getting reprimanded for not doing his homework (again) and I kind of tuned out the conversation. Derek had finally made an appearance, but he looked anxious and fidgety, mostly pushing his food around on the plate instead of eating it. I finished my plate and stood, walking to the sink and washing my plate. As I passed Derek on my way back to my room, I leaned placed my hand on his shoulder and leaned toward his ear.

"Stop freaking yourself out, Der. Everything is going to be okay. I promise," I squeezed his shoulder encouragingly and he smiled gratefully at me before I left the kitchen and trudged up the stairs to my bedroom, showering before crawling into bed and falling asleep.

Morning came too quickly and before I knew it, we were all gathered around the fireplace with our luggage. We were all to floo to London, where we would catch a train that would take us to Hogwarts. When we arrived, a professor was supposed to meet us and lead us to wherever we were supposed to go after that.

My mother gathered us all into hugs before we left, saying her goodbyes to each of us.

"Be good," she warned after she had released all of us. She pointed to all of us as she said it, but I knew she meant it mostly for Jacob and me. Jacob and I had a bit of a reputation for starting trouble. We were bad enough on our own, but when we teamed up, we were a force to be reckoned with. Derek almost never got into trouble unless Jacob and I had dragged him into something with us. He was a smart kid, and put a lot of effort into his education. He dreamed of big things, and it always made me smile because I knew he was entirely capable of accomplishing those great things. "I love you all, have fun," my mother finished after fixing us with a pointed stare.

"Love you too, Mum," I mumbled, appearing nonchalant, but really, I was quite sad. My mother and I were very close, and this was the first time I would be leaving her for an extended period of time. I would be lying if I said I was completely okay with it.

We all stepped into the fireplace and yelled out our destination, throwing the powder at our feet as we did. I had always hated the floo network; it was a truly awful way to travel, but with the huge prices for airline tickets and my mother's very finite funds, we really had no other choice.

We all made it to onto the train fine, only stopping to ask a family how to get onto the platform. The fact that it was hidden within a muggle train station impressed me, and I couldn't help but laugh as the muggles continued on with their lives, completely oblivious, as we disappeared through a wall as if it were a completely normal thing to do. The platform was full of parents bidding their children goodbyes as they all clambered onto the train. The three of us found an empty compartment and seated ourselves, awaiting the trip to our new school.

The trip was long, and it was night by the time we arrived. The three of us gathered our belongings and exited the train. As we stepped onto the platform, I spotted a huge man beckoning first year students to follow him. I momentarily wondered if we were supposed to follow him before a witch dressed in robes began calling out for us, her glasses slipping down her nose.

"All Breakwick Academy students this way. Follow me, please," she beckoned, and I noticed as people from my old school gathered around her. Jacob, Derek, and I joined them, and she led us all to a row of carriages, telling us to leave our luggage and holding us to the side as all the other students headed to the castle before us. When they were gone, she loaded us into carriages and we set off for the school.

I couldn't help but gawk as we exited the carriages. This was no school, this was a damn castle. Hogwarts was a castle and I got to live and learn here.

"Chloe, hurry up," Jacob called to me and I snapped out of my daze to realize the group was proceeding into the castle without me. I ran to catch up, following the group as she led us through the castle to a large room where several chairs and couches were arranged. We all sat and looked up at the witch as she stood, looking at us.

"Now, here is how this is going to work," she began, calling the attention of the students upon her. "I assume you all were separated into houses at your prior school, yes?" she asked, and we all nodded in confirmation. We had been separated, but it didn't really matter much because Breakwick wasn't a boarding school, so you never really had to spend time with the people in your house. "Well, here at Hogwarts, we also have houses. The first years are being led to the castle now, and they will be sorted first. After that, the Headmaster will make an announcement that you will be joining us this year, and then we will get you all sorted. I must leave now, to attend to the first years, but I will be back when we are finished with that to lead you all to the Great Hall. Do not leave before I return," her voice was stern and her gaze swept over the crowd before she turned and left the room.

"So we are going to be resorted," Derek spoke from my right. "I was wondering about that."

"Of course we're being resorted, the houses here are probably nothing like the houses back home," Jacob spoke from my left. I rolled my eyes.

"Can we put a stop to this now, before you two begin arguing over me? Again? Thanks," I chimed in, looking back and forth between the two boys. Jacob rolled his eyes, but Derek looked a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry, Chloe," he apologized and I smiled.

"It's okay, Der Bear," I teased, throwing my arm over his shoulder.

"Don't call me that here!" he hissed, shrugging my arm off his shoulder.

"Aww, does Der Bear not like Chloe's affection?" Jacob teased, leaning forward to look at his brother. "I like Miss Chloe's affection."

"Yeah," I agreed, throwing my arm over Jacob's shoulders and pulling him closer to me, though it was a bit awkward since he was a bit taller than me. "Jakey Wakey likes my affection, Der Bear, why don't you?"

Derek scowled at us and crossed his arms, averting his gaze and pouting as Jacob and I laughed. It was quite funny seeing him like this; Derek was very tall, taller than Jacob, actually, and people always mistook him for older than he actually was. But, the fact was, he was young, and seeing a boy who looked like a full grown man pout was ridiculously funny.

"Aw, come on, Derek," I pushed his shoulder playfully. "We're only teasing."

His shoulders relaxed slightly and he turned back toward me. "I know. But still, don't call me that here."

"How about we compromise and I promise not to call you that in front of any cute girls?" I smirked.

"Fine," Derek huffed his agreement, probably because he knew that was the best offer he was going to get.

It took a while for the older witch to return. When she did, she gave us a quick explanation of what each house represented before beckoning us to follow her. She led us to a large room, where all the students were seated at four long tables. I smiled as Derek began to inform me about the enchanted ceiling and how he had read all about it before we had arrived, only turning my attention back to the front of the room when an old man with a long, white beard spoke from the podium.

"Ah, that must be my cue," he spoke with a smile, bowing his head to the witch in front of us. "Thank you, Minerva." She nodded before stepping up to a stool that had an old, ratty hat on it. I winced, hoping we didn't have to wear that thing. Who knows what the hell was on it if it was truly as old as it looked. "Welcome, young students," the old man greeted us. "My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am Headmaster of Hogwarts." He then turned to the rest of the students, all of whom were whispering animatedly or looking on with expressions of confusion. "Young Hogwarts students, it is time I announce a new addition to Hogwarts this year. These students in front of me are from Breakwick Academy of Magic in America and they have all been accepted to a study abroad program that we have offered them. They will all be attending Hogwarts along with you this year."

The hall broke out into frantic whispers at his announcement and I rolled my eyes.

"Now, now, settle down," he continued, silencing the hall. "These students have to be sorted, so if you would kindly remain patient for a tad bit longer." He motioned to the witch who had led us here, Minerva, if I recalled correctly, and she pulled out a scroll.

"Carl Krick," she called out, and I chuckled as I watched him approach the stool. I knew Carl (or, Krick, because he hated his first name and insisted everyone call him by his last name, not that that was much better), and I hadn't known he had come here, as well. My chuckles ended, however, as I watched the witch raise the hat and set it back on Krick's head as he sat on the stool. So we did have to wear the damn thing. It took a moment before I noticed the hat had a face, and that the lips were moving, obviously speaking to Krick. I literally gaped.

They had a talking hat. Our futures at this school were to be decided by a talking hat. Are you fucking kidding me?

After a moment, the hat opened its big mouth and announced to the hall: "Slytherin!" A table with green and silver banners over it erupted into applause and Krick made his way toward the table. I zoned out as a few more people were sorted, only focusing back in when a certain name was called.

"Jacob Warner," the witch called out and I reached out to Jacob and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before releasing it and watching him walk to the front of the room. I looked around and realized that there was only me, Derek, and two other people left to be sorted.

Jacob sat down on the stool and the witch placed the hat on his head. There was a moment of silence before the hat burst out: "Gryffindor!" I applauded along with the other students as Jacob stepped off the stool and walked over to a long table full of students, many of whom stood up and shook his hand as he joined them.

"Derek Warner." He gave me a worried look and I squeezed his hand the same way I had squeezed Jacob's, smiling at him as he made his way to the front of the room. There was barely any pause at all before the hat announced Derek's house: "Ravenclaw!" A huge grin broke out on Derek's face as he hopped off the stool and bounded to the Ravenclaw table.

"Chloe Masters," the witch called out my name and I strode up to the stool, a grin on my face. I wasn't worried; I was excited. I stared out at the crowd as I sat on the stool and the witch placed the hat upon my head.

"Ah, Young One," the hat spoke to me and I realized that, while I could see his lips were moving, I could only head his voice inside my head. "You are feisty; that much is obvious. You have confidence and ambition to take you far in life. I know where to put you. Slytherin!" He yelled the last word out to the hall, and the green and silver table erupted into cheers, many of the boys catcalling. I rolled my eyes, but smiled as I bounced off the stool and over to the table.

"Hi," a girl with long dirty blonde hair and nice blue eyes introduced herself as soon as I sat down at the table. "My name is Veronica Cremoir," she held her hand out to me.

"I'm Chloe Masters," I introduced myself, shaking her hand.

"Nice accent, I guess you really are from America," she chuckled.

"Born and raised," I agreed, smiling.

"Where exactly in America is Breakwick?" another girl, with long brown hair and soft brown eyes chimed in. "Oh, and I'm Bianca Villanos," she introduced, offering me her hand.

"I'm Chloe," I shook her hand. "And Breakwick is in Santa Cruz, uh, California," I finished when both her and Veronica gave me confused looks.

"California?" Veronica asked excitedly.

"No wonder you're so hot," a brunette boy who was sitting a couple people down the table announced, smirking at me.

"You know it, Stud," I agreed with a wink and a smirk of my own. He stumbled, obviously flustered, before blushing a bit and turning away. I laughed at his obvious discomfort.

"Don't mind her," Krick mumbled next to him. "She's always like that."

"Hey, Krick, don't be a killjoy," I laughed.

"No promises," he smirked at me before Veronica spoke again.

"What's California like? Is it sunny? Are there celebrities everywhere?"

I laughed at the stereotypes. "Uh, I don't live in LA, so, no, there aren't celebrities everywhere. Santa Cruz is sunny a lot of the time, but it does storm pretty badly sometimes. I don't mind, though. That just makes for better surfing."

"You surf?" flustered brunette asked, turning his attention back toward me.

"Yeah, it's great. I live right down the street from the beach so it's really easy for me to just go surfing for a bit."

"Oh, my God," Bianca spoke up, glancing down the table with her mouth open.

"What?" I asked, looking at her with confusion.

"He's coming over here!" She squealed, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Who the hell is 'he' and why does that excite you so much?" I asked, looking at Veronica for clarification. She opened her mouth to talk, but quickly snapped it shut as I felt someone sit down on the other side of me. I turned to see who it was and found myself face to face with a rather handsome blonde boy. He wore a smirk on his face and stuck his hand out to me.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he announced. I reached out and shook his hand.

"Chloe Masters. Uh, is your name really Draco?" I queried, tilting my head slightly. His smirk immediately turned into a scowl.

"Yeah, why? You think it's funny?" He demanded, his grip tightening on my hand before he released it.

"No, Jeez, calm down," I countered. "I actually think it's really cool."

"Really?" He seemed surprised for a second before quickly regaining his composure. "Good."

"Uh, yeah," I rolled my eyes, turning back to the table to find that it had filled with food while I wasn't looking. I could see why the girls were fawning over him, he was damn hot, but this kid seemed like an arrogant ass and I wasn't going to deal with it just because he was nice to look at.

"So, you come from California?" he questioned, filling his plate as he sat next to me.

"Yup," I answered shortly, slightly annoyed that he obviously wasn't going to leave.

"Look," he spoke firmly, "my intention wasn't to piss you off, it was to introduce myself. I've somehow managed to do both, but at least I achieved my original goal. It's obvious you don't want me here, but I'm going to continue talking to you because I want to get to know the new girl and I'm used to getting what I want, so it would be easier if you would just behave civilly."

I swallowed the piece of chicken I had in my mouth and mulled over his statement for a few seconds before turning to him.

"Blunt and concise; I can respect that," I admitted. "I suppose first impressions aren't everything, so I'll act civilly. Just don't continue to be an ass, because I'm not going to bow down to you just because you're hot."

I heard Bianca gasp behind me and the smirk returned to Draco's face before he nodded.

"Fine," he conceded.

"Fine," I agreed, nodding and turning back to my plate.

"Well, I must get back to my seat, but expect to see me around. Don't think I'll forget about our little agreement," he smirked, standing from his seat.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I agreed as he walked back to his friends, abandoning his full plate.

"I can't believe you spoke to him that way," Bianca exclaimed as soon as he was out of ear shot.

"He's just a person; you can't let him treat you like shit just because he's attractive. There are plenty of attractive people out there and it doesn't give them a right to be complete assholes," I remarked casually as I buttered a dinner roll.

"It's nice to see I'm not the only one who doesn't worship him," Veronica spoke beside me and Bianca shot her a glare. I smiled before looking up and across the hall, catching Jacob's eye. He smiled and waved to me, and I returned the gesture. A couple of the people around him noticed our interaction and looked over at me, and I waved at them as well, chuckling as I did so. The people next to Jacob spoke and he turned to talk to them, so I turned my attention back to my food.

"Oh, yeah. You were talking to that guy a lot. Are you two…?" Veronica asked, allowing her silence to explain her implication.

"No, no, not at all. He's just my best friend is all; we grew up together," I explained.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it," I reassured her. "Trust me, you're not the first person to make that assumption."

"Nobody would make that assumption if you two weren't attached at the hip," Krick chimed in from down the table, casually eating his dinner as if he hadn't said anything at all.

"Aw, you jealous, Krick?" I teased. "Now that we're in the same house, I'm sure we'll spend lots of time together," I mock consoled, reaching across the table to pat his hand.

"You wish, Masters," he smirked, shaking my hand off.

"Oh, on the contrary, I believe it is you who is doing the wishing, Krick," I smirked at him as he just chuckled and shook his head at me.

Dinner continued on in a peaceful manner. A few more people introduced themselves to me, including a girl named Pansy Parkinson (I tried so hard not to laugh at her name, but I wasn't entirely successful), a boy named Theodore Nott, two sisters named Astoria and Daphne Greengrass, another boy named Blaise Zabini, and a quiet girl named Clarissa Abralion. After the feast was over, the head of houses lead us out of the hall and toward our common rooms.

"Psst, Chloe," I turned from my conversation with Veronica to see Jacob beckoning me over. I told Veronica I would be right back before making my way toward him, smiling.

"Hey, Jakey Wakey. What's up?"

"Just wanted to say night before we went to our separate houses. Looks like we won't be bunking together," he moped a bit and I empathized with him. This would be the first time we had been unable to see each other at night, since we weren't supposed to go into each other's house common rooms.

"Yeah, I know, Jake. I'm sorry. But, hey, if you ever need me, just come get me and I'll be there, damn the rules." I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Really?" He looked up at me, his eyes a bit brighter than before.

"Really. When have the rules ever stopped me before?"

"Very true," he chuckled. "Same to you, you know. No matter what."

"Of course," I smiled at him.

"Chloe," Veronica's voice broke into our conversation. "We gotta go or we're going to be locked out of the common room."

"Okay, gimme a sec," I called over my shoulder before turning back to Jacob. "Night, Jacob."

"Night, Chloe," he replied as I began walking away. "Hey, Chloe," he called and I turned back around to face him. "Your friend is hot."

"No," was my immediate response, and I pointed my finger at him in warning.

"Ahh, come on, Chloe. Put in a good word for me?"

"If you seduce her on your own time, like a big boy, then great for you, but I am not risking my reputation to vouch for your flimsy commitment skills," I replied before turning and beginning to walk away again.

"Worst wingman ever," I heard him mutter as I walked away.

"Love you, too, Jake," I called over my shoulder as Veronica and I rushed to catch up with the rest of our house. Our common room was in the dungeons, and we caught up to the group just as they were entering the common room. The common room was cold, but there was a fire roaring in the fireplace and the entire room was decorated in greens and silvers. I found it very relaxing. Veronica led me up some stairs to our dorm. I found it surprising that she and I were rooming together and wondered if the staff had known we would become acquainted. Passing it off as coincidence, I walked over to the bed that had my trunk at the foot and looked at the stack of supplies on my bed. I had been supplied with the necessary materials from the school. On my bed was a stack of uniforms (already in the Slytherin colors), my textbooks, some quills and inkwells, and a fair bit of parchment. I held up the parchment and quills and observed them warily.

"You guys still use quills and parchment? Damn, this school really must be ancient," I muttered, grabbing all the items on my bed and moving them over to a desk in the corner.

"Of course, Hogwarts has been around for centuries, so we still use the old methods. Why, what did you use at your old school?" Veronica asked, pulling some sleeping clothes out of her trunk and beginning to change. I followed her lead and began searching my trunk for my own pajamas, pulling out my stuffed bear and tossing it on my bed as I did so.

"Well, our school hasn't been around that long, so we used more modern methods. All our essays were typed up on computers and we were even allowed to bring laptops to class. It's completely different here. Hell, I wasn't even allowed to bring my cell phone here," I complained, climbing into bed after changing.

"Yeah, there's pretty much no modern technology allowed here, magical or muggle made, but you get used to it."

"Yeah, I suppose I probably will," I agreed, climbing into bed. "Night," I spoke softly as I rolled over and cuddled Carlton (my bear) into my chest.

"Night," Veronica replied from her bed, obviously already close to sleep. I closed my eyes, wondering exactly where Jake was in the castle and hoping that he was alright by himself.


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions

**Author's Note: **So, here's chapter two. I already have up to chapter six written, I just need to spend some time editing the chapters and stuff so I'll try to get them up as soon as possible. Although, I do have an 8 page term paper due in a week and a half that I haven't started writing so don't be too mad if it takes a couple weeks to get me all caught up. Thanks to my two lovely followers, animelover2213 and hungergamespettalover. You both make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :)

* * *

"I feel like I just stepped out of some prepubescent boy's wet dream." I was standing in front of the full length mirror in our room, examining myself in my uniform. It consisted of a white button up shirt and a green skirt with knee high socks and shoes.

Veronica laughed from where she was applying her makeup in the bathroom. She finished and walked out of the bathroom, grabbing her bag.

"You coming? We have potions first, it's right down the hall," Veronica asked.

"Yeah, let's go," I agreed, grabbing my bag and following her out of the common room. She was right, the potions classroom was right down the hall, apparently because it was taught by the head of Slytherin House, someone called Snape. I smiled when I walked into the classroom to find Jacob sitting at a table by himself, his head resting in his hand. Veronica smiled at me and waved me off, sitting at the table behind him next to Bianca. I walked up and sat down nonchalantly next to him, waiting for him to notice my presence. He looked up at me and immediately burst out laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" I demanded, glaring at him as his laughs subsided. He ignored me, instead turning to Veronica.

"What smartass remark did she make about the uniform?" He asked, glancing back to me with a smirk.

"Oh, something about a wet dream," Veronica answered with a chuckle.

"Sounds about accurate," two redheaded boys agreed from the table in front of us, causing me to jump. They turned around to face us with huge grins on their faces and my jaw dropped when I realized they were identical. I leaned over to Jacob and whispered to him.

"Uh, am I drunk? Because I'm seeing double."

"Your sobriety is unknown to us," one of the redheads began.

"But we can assure you you are not seeing double," the other one finished.

"Ah," I replied, "so you must be twins? The ultimate threesome fantasy."

"Right you are," the first one answered. "I must disappoint you, however, as I have no desire to see my brother naked."

"Nor do I to see him naked," the second one agreed and they nodded at each other as if that confirmed it.

"Ah, such a shame," I mock pouted. "I'll beg you to reconsider later, but before I attempt that perhaps I should ask your names?"

"My name is Fred Weasley," the first one spoke, offering his hand, which I gladly shook.

"And I am George Weasley," the second one offered his hand, as well.

"Fred and George Weasley," I repeated, staring at them intently. "I'm going to figure out a way to tell you two apart."

"Good luck with that, Darling," Fred replied.

"Not even our mother can tell us apart sometimes," George elaborated with a smile. I didn't reply, instead I continued to stare at them, looking for anyway to tell them apart. I was not about to spend an entire year being tricked by these two simply because I couldn't figure out who was who. I smirked when I noticed the small difference, raising my gaze to look Fred in the eye, then George.

"Figured it out, no worries. I'll be able to tell you apart now," I informed them.

"Sure, I highly doubt that," Fred rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, Hotshot. I'll prove it to you eventually," I smirked at him before Jacob broke back into the conversation.

"So, Fred and George have informed me that our houses are rivals," he smirked at me.

"Is that so?" I asked, feigning interest.

"Yes, milady, 'tis so. We are officially required to hate each other," he chuckled.

"Yeah, right," I laughed, shaking my head at him. "I could never hate you, Jakey Wakey," I spoke in a baby voice and pinched his cheek for emphasis. He gave me a blank stare before pushing my hands away.

"I don't know," George spoke again from the front. "Slytherin have been known for being pretty hostile to anyone who fraternizes with the enemy."

"Oh, fuck them," I shook my head. "I don't need anybody's permission to hang out with my best friend."

"Oh, feisty," Fred laughed, winking at me. I rolled my eyes. Our conversation was cut short when the door to the classroom slammed open and a man with long black hair and a large nose walked in, ordering the room into silence. He glared over at the twins and I could automatically tell that he had an intense dislike for Gryffindors. I supposed it made sense, since he was the head of Slytherin, and the two houses were apparently rivals. He began lecturing at the front of the class, discussing the course requirements, but I zoned out, focusing instead on the head of red hair in front of me. I smiled to myself. One thing about this school was there was some nice eye candy.

After potions, I agreed to sit with Jacob at lunch before walking to charms with Veronica. The only interesting thing about that class was the teacher came to my knees and I couldn't help but laugh as he waddled around the classroom.

As we entered the Great Hall, Veronica declined my invitation to join me at the Gryffindor table and waved to me as I walked toward Jacob. He smiled when he saw me approaching and waved me over. I ignored the stares I got as I sat down next to him and began placing food on my plate.

"Hey, Chloe, I wanna introduce you to some people," Jacob caught my attention and I looked up at him, waiting for him to begin the introductions. "You already know the twins," he said, motioning to Fred and George.

"Hello," they said in sync as they both waved.

"This is their younger brother, Ron," he said, motioning to a boy with the same red hair as the twins. "He's in his fourth year."

"I can see the resemblance," I laughed as I shook his hand and he slightly grimaced before turning back to his food.

"This is Hermione Granger," he motioned to a girl with light brown hair and I shook her hand, as well.

"Pleasure," she greeted and I smiled at her.

"That is Harry Potter," he motioned to a boy with messy black hair. The boy looked up, startled, when his name was mentioned and simply waved at me as a way of greeting. I, of course, recognized the name, but I opted not to say anything as I assumed he was probably tired of unwanted attention, and simply returned his wave.

"Harry and Hermione are in their fourth year, as well," Jacob added as a side note. "This," he motioned to another boy sitting next to him, "is Lee Jordan. He's my roommate."

"Nice to meet you," I greeted as I offered my hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," he spoke, grabbing my hand and bringing it up to his mouth for a kiss. I raised my eyebrow at the cheesy move, but laughed as he released my hand.

"Everyone," Jacob called to the table, moving his arm in a sweeping motion, "this is Chloe."

"Hi," I waved again, smiling at the table.

"I don't understand why a Slytherin would want to sit at the Gryffindor table," a boy a little ways down the table spoke, scowling at me.

"And your name is?" I turned to him, narrowing my eyes.

"Dean Thomas," he answered, turning to face me.

"I see. Well, Mister Thomas," I began, straightening my back and meeting his gaze, "I believe it is a tad hypocritical of you to be so biased against my house for holding animosity towards yours when you so clearly carry some of that unsupported animosity yourself. Have I done anything to you besides be sorted into your rival house? No. Actually, I have been nothing but incredibly polite since I sat down at this table, unlike you. On top of that, it is incredibly ignorant of you to assume that just because Jacob and I were sorted into separate houses that we are suddenly supposed to ignore each other. I've known this boy my entire life and it's going to take a lot more to get rid of me than a rude comment directed at me by some random boy I've never met in my life. So, continue muttering your rude comments to yourself, if it makes you feel better, but I'm not going anywhere." I finished with a large smile before turning back to see everyone staring at me. Most of the people had their mouths hanging open, but Jacob and the twins were grinning wildly at me. I just raised my eyebrows at them before turning back to my food and continuing to eat.

Lunch passed with friendly conversation after that. The Thomas boy didn't say anything else, and I mentally commended him for his wisdom. When lunch was over and the students began to leave, I bade Jacob and everyone else at the Gryffindor table goodbye before rushing over to the Ravenclaw table to find Derek. He was walking toward the exit, talking animatedly with his friends. I smiled, glad he had found friends already. I ran up behind him and put my hands over his eyes before leaning toward his ear.

"Guess who," I whispered and he laughed, grabbing my hands and removing them from his eyes.

"Hey, Chloe," he smiled as he turned around to face me.

"Hey, Derek. I see you've made some friends," I smiled.

"Yeah, I have," he grinned. "Uh, did you need anything? Sorry, I just need to get to class."

"Oh, no worries, just wanted to check in and make sure my best bud was okay," I chuckled.

"I'm fine, promise," he rolled his eyes at me, but continued smiling. "How are you? You okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely. I'm great. Well, I don't want to hold you up anymore. Have fun in class," I waved as I left him with his friends and began walking towards Defense Against the Dark Arts. I found Veronica outside the Great Hall, and she led me to class, which I was grateful for because I really was not looking forward to asking anyone for directions. We sat next to each other in the classroom, and made small talk until the professor entered. He was tall, with long, stringy hair and one ridiculously unsettling eye that shot in all directions. He was intense, to say the least.

I had a couple hours between my last class and dinner and I decided to spend them exploring the castle. Veronica offered to give me a tour, but I declined, claiming I would learn better by exploring on my own. After a while, I decided to try and search out Jacob. I wandered the halls, knowing that my chances of finding him in this expansive castle were slim to none. What I did find, however, was a pair of identical redheaded boys. I turned a corner to find them huddled together, whispering conspiratorially. I decided to sneak up on them, tiptoeing forward until I was only a few feet from them.

"Hey, guys!" I yelled and they jumped, turning to look at me.

"What the hell was that?" Fred yelled, holding his hand over his heart.

"Well, you guys were whispering to each other like you were planning something secret so I figured it would be a good time to sneak up on you," I smiled innocently, tilting my head for added effect.

George shook his head at me. "You are a demon with the face of an angel," he muttered.

"I know," I chuckled. "What were you guys doing, anyway?"

"Hmmm, should we trust her?" Fred asked, looking over at his brother.

"I don't know. She _is _a Slytherin, after all," George agreed. They both rubbed their chins, pretending to be in deep concentration.

"Just tell me, dammit," I demanded, putting my hands on my hips.

"Ah, I know! You'll have to prove your trustworthiness."

"And how would I do that, Fred?" I taunted, smirking at him. His eyes widened a bit.

"How do you know which one I am?" He asked.

"I told you I could tell you two apart," I sent him a smug smirk.

"I think it was just a lucky guess," George disagreed, eyeing me warily.

"Nope," I told them. "Believe it or not, there is a method to my madness."

"What is it, then?" Fred asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You really want to know, don't you?"

"Yes!" they answered in unison.

"Hmmm, nope. That would be telling," I smirked, following Fred's lead and crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well, if you don't tell us how you can tell us apart then we won't tell you what we were doing," Fred countered, leaning toward me a bit.

"How about if you don't tell me what you were doing I'll tell everyone how to tell you apart and then all the plans which involve you two pretending to be each other will be ruined," I leaned forward in return, raising my eyebrow in challenge.

"You wouldn't," gasped George. I turned my attention to him and chuckled darkly.

"I don't know, Georgie Boy. I am a Slytherin, after all."

The twins looked at each other, communicating with their eyes. After a few minutes they turned their attention back toward me.

"Fine," they said in unison and I smiled at my victory.

"We're trying to plan a prank for when the students from the foreign schools show up," Fred explained, exasperated.

"Foreign schools? What are you talking about?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, that's right," George said. "Dumbledore announced that before you lot were led into the hall. Well, this year we are to be host to the Triwizard Tournament, so students from two other schools are going to be coming here and we want to give them a great big Hogwarts greeting," he grinned.

"What were you two planning? Do you need any help?" I offered, looking up at them with a smile.

"You would be willing to help us?" George asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Well, yeah. Pranks are fun; Jacob and I used to prank people all the time back at Breakwick."

"Well, Slytherin, looks like there's more to you than meets the eye," Fred commended, clearly impressed.

"Look, I have a name, and it's not 'Slytherin.' Use it sometime, would you? I mean, I already have you two figured out when not even your own mother can; the least you could do is call me by my name."

"Fine," they sighed in unison and I laughed at how in sync they were.

"Would you allow us to escort you to the Great Hall, _Chloe_?" Fred asked, emphasizing my name.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Actually, yeah, that would be great. I have no idea where I am," I chuckled, looking around at my completely unfamiliar surroundings.

A glint ignited in their eyes and they turned to each other with huge smirks on their faces.

"In that case," George began, beginning to walk past me.

"Maybe we should just leave you here," Fred finished, joining his brother.

"I'll just follow you," I scoffed, walking after them.

"We are much taller than you, young Chloe, and very capable of outrunning you," Fred chided.

"And we know every secret passage there is to know in Hogwarts," George continued. "We would get you so lost not even Dumbledore would be able to find you."

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at them. "You wouldn't."

"Suit yourself," Fred commented, turning from me.

"It was nice knowing you," George agreed before they both began sprinting away from me.

"Wait!" I yelled and they both skidded to a halt before turning back toward me. I walked over to them and sighed in defeat.

"What do you want?" I pouted, crossing my arms.

"How do you tell us apart?" Fred's smirk was far too smug for my liking. I tapped my foot in irritation, trying to decide whether or not I should tell them. Finally, I sighed in defeat and flung my arms down at my sides.

"The mole," I answered, glaring at them.

"What?" They looked at each other in confusion.

"Fred," I elaborated. "Fred has a mole, just above his collarbone. There," I said, stepping forward and poking the mole on Fred's skin. They both looked down at Fred's collarbone before laughing to themselves.

"Bloody hell, she's right," Fred laughed, staring at his mole for a second more before looking back up at me. "Well, since you fulfilled our request, I suppose it is our duty to escort you like proper gentleman, as promised," he smiled, offering me his arm as George did the same. I shook my head, laughing lightly before linking my arms with theirs and beginning to walk to the Great Hall.


	3. Chapter 3: Mechanical, Proper, Bullshit

When we reached the Great Hall, I told the twins I would be joining Veronica for dinner. They released my arms and both bowed, bidding me a good dinner, before walking toward their table. I laughed, shaking my head as I walked over to the Slytherin table.

"Hey, Veronica," I greeted as I sat beside her. She smiled up at me before continuing to eat her food. Bianca sat down across from us a minute later, immediately focusing her attention on me.

"You've been spending a lot of time with the Gryffindors," she commented and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"She's right, you know," another voice agreed before I had time to respond. I looked up to see Draco Malfoy taking the seat beside me. I scoffed, piling my plate with food.

"Look, they're my friends and I don't need your permission to spend time with them. I don't owe you an explanation."

"I never said you did," Draco quipped, smirking at me as he began to eat.

"To which one, the permission or the explanation?" I asked, fixing him with a pointed stare.

"Neither," he replied nonchalantly, not even looking away from his plate. I glared at him for a moment longer before returning to my plate and continuing to eat. The rest of dinner passed in silence, though a few times I would look up and catch him smirking at me. After I was done eating, I told Veronica I would meet her back at our dorm before standing and beginning to exit the Great Hall. I wasn't even halfway to the door when I felt someone grab onto my elbow. I turned to find Draco, looking up at me with that damned smirk still plastered to his lips.

"What do you want?" I asked through gritted teeth. This damn kid was getting on my nerves.

"I was just hoping I could escort you back to the common room," he spoke politely, releasing my elbow from his grip. That caused me to stumble.

"Huh? What?" I asked, fumbling over my words. I had been expecting some smartass remark, not a polite offer.

"I only wanted to know if I could walk you back to the common room. Is that all right?" He tilted his head slightly, never breaking eye contact.

"Oh, uh, yeah. That's fine, I guess," I agreed, unable to hide my confusion.

"Great, shall we?" he motioned for me to follow him. I did, continuing to walk toward the huge door. I caught Jacob's eye as I walked and he gave me a questioning stare. I shrugged slightly and mouthed an 'I don't know' before following Draco out of the hall.

"So, how do you like Hogwarts so far?" He asked as we walked.

"Oh, uh, it's great so far. I really love the architecture of the castle," I answered, looking over at him.

"That's good," he answered simply. I looked at the floor with a confused frown. I didn't know this kid, but he seemed to exude arrogance. He was being far too polite for my comfort. We walked the rest of the way to the common room in silence. When we reached it, Draco spoke the password before beckoning for me to enter.

"Ladies first," he smirked, following after me. The common room was empty when we entered and I realized it was rather early; most of the students were still at dinner.

"Would you like to sit with me for a while?" Draco asked, motioning to the couch in front of the fireplace.

"Uh, sure, I guess," I reluctantly agreed, sitting down on the couch. Draco sat beside me and there was silence for another few moments before he spoke.

"What year are you, again?" He asked, shifting slightly so he was facing toward me.

"Sixth. And you?"

"I'm a fourth year," he answered smugly, and I knew it was because that little shit knew he was attractive, even for being two years younger than me. Silence settled over us again and I fiddled with my hands awkwardly.

"Look," I finally said, breaking the silence. "I don't know what it is that you want. If you're trying to sleep with me, stop, because it's not going to happen. If you want to be friends, then just talk to me like we're friends, and if you're trying to fuck me over, then stop because you are in way over your head. Either way, just stop with this mechanical, proper, bullshit façade and just act like a real person." I spoke in a rush, thoroughly frustrated.

"Okay," he agreed instantly and I looked up at him in disbelief.

"What?" It had been too easy to get through to him; there was something up.

"Okay," he repeated, still looking at me. My eyebrows furrowed and I shook my head slightly.

"No. That was too easy. Elaborate," I demanded, meeting his gaze.

His smirk increased slightly. "My mother raised me to be polite and proper to ladies. I believe part of being polite is acquiescing to a lady's requests. You are requesting I stop with the, what was it?, 'proper, bullshit façade?' Nice choice of words, by the way. But, back to my main point, in order to be proper, as I was raised, I must do as you request, as long as it is within reason, which I believe this to be. So, I will simply relax and act normal, since that is what you seem to desire."

"Okay, Mister Huge Vocabulary all of a sudden. Sounds like a plan," I chuckled slightly, looking into the fire. Jacob had warned me about Draco; he had said that the guy had a reputation for being an ass, but I had always been one to get to know someone before judging them rather than basing my judgment on their reputation. After all, if people judged me on my reputation, most people wouldn't talk to me.

"So, Masters, tell me about yourself. I guess that's where friendship is supposed to start."

"Dude, call me Chloe," I corrected, chuckling slightly when he looked visibly surprised by that demand. I could already tell Draco was one to hide his emotions in order to get the upper hand in any situation, so seeing his cool smirk replaced with real emotion was rather humorous. "Anyway, uh, I was born and raised in California, Santa Cruz to be more exact. I've always loved it because it has both forests and beaches. Umm, I have a pretty big family, I guess. I have two older brothers, one who lives with us and one who doesn't, and Jacob and Derek have lived with us since we were all kids so I consider them family. My brother and his wife live with us with their baby, Faith," I smiled at this, thinking of my baby niece, "and uh, oh! My ten year old nephew lives with us. He's a little shit," I scowled, thinking about how Will was probably behaving now that it was only Rose there to watch over him. "What about you?" I countered, turning to look at him.

"I was born and raised in England. I am an only child and my father works for the ministry. I haven't met much of my extended family, so I can't say anything about them," he briefly replied.

"Ah, I see," I began, a smirk forming on my face. "Only child and ministry worker father. You're a spoiled rich kid, aren't you?"

His smirk increased, if that were possible. "Some would say so, yes. And you? What do your parents do for a living?"

"Oh, uh, parent," I corrected. "It's just my mom. She manages a local clothing store for an old couple who have owned it their whole lives. Not exactly the most magical job, but it pays, so it's better than nothing. I used to have a job, back home, so I could help my mom out, but I suppose with three less mouths to feed along with my missing income, it sort of evens out." I leaned back into the couch, relaxing slightly into the conversation.

"This may be a bit forward and inappropriate, but what happened to your father?" Draco asked slowly.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it," I turned and smiled reassuringly at him. "I don't know, honestly. He was never really around much, but he used to come for occasional visits, you know? Last time I saw him, I was four. Derek and Jacob's mother had just died, and my mother had taken them in. I remember my parents got into a huge fight and my dad stormed out. I haven't seen him since."

"Oh," Draco replied, averting his gaze to the fire still burning in the fireplace. "That's unfortunate."

"Naw, not really. I guess, if he wanted to be in my life, he would be, and if he doesn't want to be in my life, then perhaps I'm better off without him," I shrugged.

"That's a good way to look at it, I suppose," Draco agreed, and I nodded before we settled into silence once more.

"Well, I'm kinda tired, so I guess I'm gonna go up and get ready for bed," I announced, standing and stretching a bit.

"Okay," Draco agreed from his seat on the couch as I began walking toward my dorm. "Night, Chloe."

"Night, Draco," I waved dismissively over my shoulder as I climbed the stairs. Veronica walked in just as I was climbing into bed.

"Hey," she greeted, setting her bag by her bed and rummaging through her trunk for pajamas. "What was up with you and Malfoy?"

"Oh, I don't know. He walked me back here then we made small talk in the common room for a bit," I informed her, settling into bed with Carlton tucked snugly into my side.

"That's odd; he seems to have taken quite a liking to you," she replied, crawling into bed and looking over at me.

"I guess," I mumbled around a yawn, bringing my hand up to cover my mouth.

"Well, whatever, I guess it doesn't really matter. Night, Chloe," she called, rolling over onto her side.

"Night, Ronnie," I called out in my sleepy daze.

"What?" she asked with a chuckle, turning her head to look at me over her shoulder.

"Ronnie. Like Veronica," I explained groggily. "That's what I'm gonna call you from now on."

"Whatever makes you happy, Chloe," she shook her head and rolled back over. I fell asleep quickly.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Let me say this before anybody gives me shit for writing Draco OOC. The way I see it is, Chloe is a Slytherin and she's starting at Hogwarts with a clean slate as far as everyone goes. She knows nothing about them and they know nothing about her, really. So, I don't think it's too far fetched for a friendship to exist between the two. He's still going to be an arrogant shit, because that's just the way he is, but he's not going to be a rude twat to Chloe without cause. He'll still going to be a dick to the people he normally is a dick to, but this story is from Chloe's perspective so I'm going to portray Draco as more civil and less dickish than he was portrayed in the books. Sorry if you don't like it.


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmare

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter four. Just wanted to say thank you to all my readers and a special thanks to my new follower Rosalinda Katerina Mikaelson. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Officially up to chapter nine done, so I'll try to spend more time on editing and posting to try and get caught up.

* * *

I was awoken by a light knocking on the door. I rolled over, groaning, and put my pillow over my head. I heard the door click open and a small voice call out.

"Chloe," Bianca spoke quietly and I grunted in recognition. "Hey, Chloe," she tried again, walking over to stand beside my bed, "your stud muffin Gryffindor's little brother is outside asking for you."

"What?" I sat up straight in my bed, looking at her. "Derek? What's wrong? Is he okay?"

"I don't know; he looked worried. He just asked me to come get you," she replied and I bolted out of bed and down to the common room entrance, not even caring that I was still in my pajamas. I exited the common room to find Derek standing in the hall, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Derek?" I asked, walking up to him. "What's wrong?"

He looked up when I spoke his name and waited until I was in front of him to answer. "It's Jacob. He's freaking out," he spoke, his voice soft and worried.

"Nightmares?" I asked.

"Yeah," he confirmed, and I nodded in understanding.

"Okay," I said. "Take me to him."

Derek nodded before turning around and walking down the hallway. I followed him. He led me up a bunch of stairs, I lost count of how many, before I saw a small gathering in the distance. As we got closer I realized that it was Fred, George, and Lee. They looked up as we approached, and their shoulders seemed to relax a bit at the sight of us.

"It's about time," Lee commented, looking at the pair of us.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking between the three boys.

"Jacob woke up in the middle of the night and just started freaking out, crying and yelling a bit," Lee answered.

"He came to wake us and ask for advice," George chimed in, stepping forward a bit.

"So we decided to retrieve his young brother here," Fred elaborated, motioning to Derek. "But, when we got him, he said it would be best to get you."

"We knew the Slytherins would never retrieve you for us," George again.

"So we sent young Derek here to get you and told him we would wait for you two outside the Gryffindor common room," Fred finished.

I nodded. "Okay, let's go."

They turned around and spoke their password to the portrait while I covered my ears (a suggestion Lee made). They led me through the common room and up a flight of stairs before stopping in front of a door and looking at me expectantly. I heard some scuffling from inside and stepped forward, opening the door slowly.

"Jake?" I called out warily as I stepped into the room. He stood in the middle of the room facing away from me. He whipped around quickly to look at me when I called his name. I could see the tear tracks down his face. His mouth was hanging open and his chest was heaving with his labored breaths.

"Chloe," his voice broke as he choked out my name.

"Hey," I whispered soothingly, latching the door behind me and stepping toward him. As soon as I was within reach he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest tightly.

"She was there, Chloe. She was alive. But then, the flames, and…I could see her, Chloe. I saw her face and I heard her screams and I couldn't- I couldn't save her. I had Derek and I couldn't leave him alone and she- she," he stuttered, fresh tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Shh, I cooed, rubbing his back with my hands. "It's not your fault, Jake. It was just a dream. It's okay." I always felt guilty when I consoled him like that, because I knew it wasn't entirely true. I knew that Jake could remember parts of what happened that night, and that a lot of the nightmares were him reliving those memories. So, it wasn't just a dream, not to him. It was a horrible reality that he had to relive over and over again. But, I didn't know what else to say, so I always told him it was just a dream and that everything would be okay.

"Let's get you back in bed," I coaxed, pulling away from him slightly and walking him over to his bed. He crawled in but grasped my hand tightly and looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Don't go yet?" he asked, pulling me towards his bed.

"I'm not leaving until you fall back asleep, kay? I promise," I squeezed his hand and sat down on the bed next to him. He placed his head on my lap and I ran my fingers lightly through his hair. He relaxed a bit, and I began to hum a lullaby to him. It was the lullaby his mother had always sung to him. I couldn't remember the words, but I remembered the tune well from the times I had stayed at his house when we were children, and so I always hummed it to him when he was having trouble sleeping. I felt bad that I couldn't sing the words, but Jacob had never complained so I never brought it up. It didn't take long for him to fall back asleep, his shoulders rising and falling slowly with his even breaths. I lifted his head up lightly and placed it back on his pillow before standing and making my way back downstairs. When I arrived, I found the twins and Lee still awake.

"We sent Derek back to bed, told him there was no point in him staying up," George said as I walked up to them.

"Thank you," I looked at him appreciatively.

"You fancy a drink?" Fred asked from his spot on the couch, holding up a bottle of firewhisky, and it was only then that I realized all three of them had a glass of the liquid in their hands.

"That sounds lovely," I agreed with a small smile, sitting on the couch beside Fred as he poured me a glass. I gladly accepted it, tilting my head back and allowing the complete contents of the glass to slide down my throat. I lowered my head to see all three boys staring at me with wide eyes.

"Firewhisky has always been my favorite," I explained with a shrug.

"Well, here then. Allow me," Fred offered, grabbing the glass and filling it up again. This time I took a small sip, savoring the drink.

"So, what happened in there?" Lee asked, looking at me curiously.

"Yeah, that happens sometimes," I ran my hand over my face with a sigh before I continued. "Jacob and Derek, their mother died, when they were young. Jacob and I were four; Derek was two. Derek doesn't remember any of it, he was too young, but Jacob does and sometimes he has nightmares about it. Sorry, probably should have warned you about that, Lee," I chuckled darkly, shaking my head at my meager attempt to lighten the situation.

"How did she die?" George asked quietly.

"Fire," I answered, looking up at him for a moment before looking at the roaring flames in the fireplace. Ah, the irony.

"The worst part is he blames himself," I continued after a few moments of silence. "He wanted to go back in and save her, but he refused to leave Derek alone, and when my mom and I showed up my mom wouldn't let him go after her. We lived right next door, you see, so we rushed over as soon as we saw the flames. It was the oven that caused the fire. It was around Christmas time and Jake always loved gingerbread cookies; they were his favorite. Charlotte, his mum, she knew that, so she was making him a huge batch of gingerbread cookies. That's why the oven was on when it caught on fire. He's never really forgiven himself for it," I shook my head, looking down at the now half full glass of whisky in my hand. "His dad kind of went off the deep end after that; he began drinking a bunch and he wasn't a very good dad. That's why my mom stepped in and took Jacob and Derek to live with us."

Silence settled over us again and I felt my eyelids start to droop. I really was surprisingly tired, and the alcohol and warm fire weren't helping, but they felt so damn good. I finished my glass before setting it unceremoniously on the table and leaning back into the couch. The Gryffindor common room was much warmer than the Slytherin common room, and it felt so cozy.

"I should go now but I really don't want to," I mumbled, snuggling further into the couch. I heard Fred chuckle beside me.

"Aw, do you like us Gryffindors more than your housemates?" he teased.

"You wish, Weasley," I chuckled slightly. "No, 's just warm and comfy. Reminds me of home."

"Then stay here," Fred offered.

"I can't stay here," I mumbled. "I'm a Slytherin."

"Who cares?" George asked from his chair. "We'll hex anyone who tries to give you problems over it."

"Mmm," I groaned, considering the offer momentarily. "No, I really can't stay. It's only the second day of term; that would be bad," I sighed in resignation before forcing myself to my feet, swaying a bit when I was finally standing.

"Whoa, you okay?" George asked as Fred stood and held his arm out to catch me if I fell.

"I'm fine, just tired," I mumbled, sleepily rubbing my eyes and yawning.

"Let me walk you back; you look like you're about to pass out any moment," Fred offered.

"Naw, I'm fine," I said, walking toward the exit.

"I wasn't asking, Masters," he demanded, grabbing my shoulder to steady me and walking me toward the exit. "Be back in a second," he called over his shoulder before we exited the common room.

"Agh!" I yelled as soon as I stepped out onto the hard, stone floor. Fred immediately clamped his hand over my mouth, effectively silencing me.

"Shut it, would you? We don't want to get caught after curfew," he snapped at me.

"Sorry, but this floor is fucking freezing," I muttered, my body shivering in agreement. I yelped as I felt an arm wrap around my waist and lift me into the air. I wrapped my arms around Fred's neck to steady myself as he lifted me into his arms.

"What the-" I began, but he sent me a warning glare and I lowered my voice before continuing. "What the hell are you doing?" I whispered.

"I'm carrying you so your feet don't get cold," he replied with an easy grin. I tried to scowl but couldn't hold it as a small smile spread across my lips.

"Thanks," I muttered, relaxing a bit. "And stop calling me Masters. My name is Chloe," I demanded, watching as his long legs carried us quickly through the halls. Before I knew it, he was setting me down and I looked up to realize we were already outside the Slytherin common room.

"How did we get here so fast?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I know all the secrets this castle has to offer, dear Chloe," he chuckled before turning and waving over his shoulder. "Night."

"Night," I replied, turning and entering the common room, trudging up to my room and collapsing into my bed.


	5. Chapter 5: Booze Guy

I woke up to find my dorm empty and I rushed to dress and get down to the Great Hall in time for breakfast. When I arrived I was surprised to find Draco sitting next to my usual seat by Veronica and Bianca. I shook my curiosity off and rushed over to the table, sitting down and immediately getting myself some food.

"Why the hell didn't you guys wake me up?" I asked, glaring at both Veronica and Bianca.

"Well, we thought you might want a bit of time to relax after your little outing last night," Bianca smirked and Veronica giggled next to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at both of them curiously.

"Sooo," Veronica began, giving me a knowing smirk. "Tell us. Is Jacob a good kisser?"

"I wouldn't know," I answered bluntly, nibbling on a piece of bacon.

"Oh, come on!" Bianca huffed, exasperated. "You went to see him last night and didn't come back for almost an hour. Something happened!"

"You went to see Jacob last night?" Draco spoke for the first time that morning.

I huffed, annoyed. "Oh, my god, you guys, nothing happened! He needed to speak to me about something personal. You're all perverts," I added the last bit after Bianca gave me a disbelieving look. I rushed through breakfast and forced Veronica to go to class early with me just so I could get away from Bianca's relentless questions. I was sitting in class, unpacking my supplies when I noticed Veronica grinning wildly at me. She winked when I met her gaze, and then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Jacob looking at me nervously.

"Hey, can I speak with you in the hallway for a minute?" he asked, sticking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the hall.

"Of course," I answered, smiling at him. I stood and followed him out of the classroom.

"I'm sorry about last night," he apologized as soon as we were away from prying ears.

"Jake, it's okay. I told you I would be there for you if you needed me. It's no big deal," I reassured, grabbing his arm and squeezing before releasing it.

"I know, I know, it's just been a while since I had one, you know? And I was kind of hoping they wouldn't come back."

"I know. I'm sorry they did. I hope it was just a one time thing."

"Yeah, yeah," he agreed, pausing for a moment before continuing. "It's also the first time in over a decade I've slept without you in the room next to me."

"Yeah, it is," I acknowledged, and inwardly winced at that fact. It wasn't something I liked to admit, but I knew it was true: Jacob and I were far too dependent on each other. At home, our bedrooms were right next to each other and we did absolutely everything together. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved having him as a friend, and I missed having him there, especially since I knew my own nightmares would likely return soon, but perhaps this was a good thing. It was probably about time there was a little space between us that allowed us to stand on our own and become more independent. I knew I had gotten in the way of Jacob's past relationships, just as he had gotten in the way of mine, and it wasn't entirely healthy. We needed other people in our life so we weren't entirely dependent on each other.

"Well," Jacob continued after a pause, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Thank you. And, if you ever need me, like I said, I'll be there."

"I know, thanks, Jake," I nodded and smiled before we both returned to the classroom. Moments later, the same witch who had introduced us our first night at the castle walked in and introduced herself before beginning her lecture.

About ten minutes in to the lecture I felt something hit me in the side of the head. I looked down to see a crumpled piece of parchment at my feet. I leaned down and picked it up before turning to see Fred grinning widely at me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head before unfolding the parchment and reading it.

'You have a cute sleepy face.'

I scoffed quietly before replying: 'Your knowledge of the secret passageways in Hogwarts is useful and convenient.'

I folded the paper neatly before tossing it over onto his desk. Not long after that, it was back on my desk.

'Aw, that's all I get? I'm disappointed.'

'I also like that you gave me free firewhisky.'

I heard George laugh at my reply and looked over to see him patting Fred's shoulder consolingly.

"Is there a problem, Mister Weasley?" McGonagall asked from the front of the room in her stern voice, eyeing the pair warily.

"No, no problem, Professor," George spoke between his chuckles.

"Then I suggest you keep it down," McGonagall reprimanded before continuing with her lecture.

Veronica and I were beginning our long walk to the greenhouses when I heard my name being called. I turned to see Fred striding up to me, George in his wake.

"Is that all you like me for, my knowledge and booze?" He asked bluntly and George began chuckling again.

"Whoa, there, hotshot. I never said I liked you. Just that your knowledge was useful and I liked that you gave me booze." I sent him a smirk and a wink and George erupted into a brand new fit of laughter.

"I see how it is then," Fred smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "I never said I liked you, either."

"No," I agreed with a smirk, "just that I have a cute sleepy face. But, I really do need to be getting down to the greenhouses. See you later George, Booze Guy," I called nonchalantly, waving over my shoulder as I left, Vanessa following me while trying to conceal her laughter.

Herbology and lunch passed uneventfully, and I eventually found myself sitting in the common room trying to think of a way to pass the time until I had to go to Astronomy later that night. I sighed, tilting my head back and looking at the ceiling when I felt someone sit on the couch next to me. I turned to see Draco sitting beside me, mimicking my position and staring at the ceiling.

"Hello, Chloe," he greeted, surprising me by actually using my first name.

"Draco," I nodded slightly.

"You look bored," he commented blandly. "Want to go for a walk or something?"

"I have Astronomy at seven," I informed him, tilting my head slightly on the couch to look at him.

"That's fine," he said, again mimicking my actions and looking at me. "That still gives us a couple hours."

"Okay, then," I agreed, reluctantly prying myself from the couch and following him out of the common room.

We walked around the castle aimlessly, talking while we did. I was actually surprised by how much he was able to relax after we settled into conversation. My initial impression was right, the kid was an arrogant ass, but as long as he wasn't being rude to me, I was able to ignore it. Honestly, Jacob was pretty arrogant, himself, and I still loved him to death.

We were walking down a hall when Draco's eyes suddenly lit up and he turned to me with the closest thing to a smile I had ever seen on him.

"Do you mind if I show you something?" he asked, looking at me.

"Not at all. Lead the way," I joked, motioning for Draco to show me whatever it was he wanted to show me. He surprised me by grabbing my hand and towing me behind him, but I allowed it and followed him. Eventually, we came to a large door and he pushed it open, leading me onto a huge balcony that hung off the side of the castle, overlooking the lake and the grounds.

"Wow," I commented, observing the view. "This is beautiful."

"Yeah," he agreed, walking over to the railing. "I come here to be alone sometimes."

I approached him and sat beside him, shoving my feet through the slits in the railing and letting them dangle. Draco raised his eyebrows at me before asking.

"What are you doing?"

"Come on," I goaded, grabbing his hand and pulling him down. "It's fun." He mimicked me, allowing his legs to dangle off the railing. I began swinging mine childishly, relishing the feeling of suspension. I leaned my head forward against the railing and observed the view through the same slits my legs were hanging from. We sat in silence for a while before I noticed how low the sun was in the sky.

"I have to go; I can't be late to my first Astronomy class," I chuckled, turning my head to look at him.

"Okay," he agreed, continuing to look out across the lake.

"You gonna stay here or are you coming?" I asked as I stood up, dusting off my skirt. This seemed to break his trance and he looked up at me.

"I suppose I'll walk you back. You have no idea where we are, do you?" He chuckled slightly when I shook my head and shrugged.

"I would have figured it out eventually."

We returned to the dorm just in time to see Veronica leaving. "Where have you been?" She asked, waving her arms frantically. "I've been looking for you! We have Astronomy!"

"I know, just give me one second to get my bag," I patted her shoulder and rushed up to my dorm, grabbing my bag and running back to meet Veronica in the hall.

"Bye Draco, thanks for the walk," I called over my shoulder as Veronica and I rushed to Astronomy.

"You're quite the charmer, aren't you?" Veronica asked me with a smirk.

"Wha- What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. How many damn stairs were in this castle?

"Well, making midnight runs to Jacob's room, getting notes from those fine as fuck Weasley twins, and now the most desired Slytherin boy in school is taking you out on walks? I commend you on your ability to balance all those guys."

"I'm not- not balancing anything. I already told you nothing happened with Jake. Fred and- and George are just friends and Draco was just being, agh, friendly." Too many damn stairs, that's how many.

"Right. Sorry, Honey, but I hope you don't honestly think people are going to believe that," she tutted me, waving her finger in mock admonishment.

"I don't give a damn what pe- people think. It's the truth. How are you okay going up all these stairs at once?" I almost yelled the last part, annoyed that I was gasping for air whereas Veronica was completely okay.

"Years of practice, Hun," she chuckled. "We're almost there."

And she was right. After only a few more steps we walked into the classroom and I bent over with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

"Too many fucking stairs," I muttered between gasps. "I'm going to die."

"Maybe you should cut back on the firewhisky then, Love," I looked up into the smug face of Fred Weasley and I couldn't contain my scowl.

"If I stop drinking, who are you going to share all your booze with?" I asked, finally regaining my breath and looking up at him with a smirk.

"Me!" Lee called, waving his hand around in the air.

"Exactly," I declared, ignoring Lee. "No one."

This time it was Fred who laughed while Lee crossed his arms and huffed in anger. We took our seats and the class began shortly after. It wasn't long before another piece of parchment landed on my desk and I unfolded it quietly.

'I still think you have a cute sleepy face.'

I laughed, shaking my head before writing my response.

'I still like your knowledge and firewhisky, Booze Guy.'


	6. Chapter 6: Never Have I Ever

**Author's Note: **So, here's chapter six. I have all the chapters I've written so far edited so I'm probably going to post them all right now haha. So you get a bunch of chapters all at once, but then it may take me a bit to update again cause I really have to crack down to get all my work done. Finals either next week or the week after that, and then I'm free for winter break so I'll be able to write more then. Thanks to my new follower and reviewer HattieTheGreat. You are lovely and you make my day.

* * *

It was Friday, and I was standing outside my Muggle Studies classroom. Veronica had shown me the way, but left me to enter on my own since she wasn't taking it with me. As a matter of fact, I was the only Slytherin in this class full of Gryffindors. I sighed. If anybody gave me any shit, there were going to be problems. I didn't even have Jacob in this class; he had laughed at me and called me crazy when I had signed up for it. All eyes turned on me as I entered the classroom, some scowling while others only looked surprised or curious.

"Well, this is sufficiently awkward," I muttered, sitting down at a desk.

"Chloe!" I spun around to see Fred and George approaching me with grins.

"Hey," I greeted them with a sigh of relief.

"Only Slytherin in the class, I see," George commented, sitting on my right.

"Of course I am. Why are you guys in this class? I didn't have you pegged for the type to be fascinated with muggles," I joked.

"We're not really," Fred agreed, sitting on my left. "But, our dad is, so whenever he's lecturing us or about to yell at us we just distract him with information on muggles and he gets so into it he forgets what we were talking about in the first place. It's been rather useful."

"Clever," I complimented, shaking my head as the professor began her lecture at the front of the room.

Muggle Studies had to be, by far, the most tedious, boring class I had ever experienced. I was beginning to believe Jacob was right when he called me crazy. I already knew all of this; I knew quite a few muggles back home. But, hey, at least it would be an easy class, right?

I was walking down the hallway toward my common room when someone fell into step beside me.

"Can I help you, Fred?" I asked, looking up at him with a smirk.

"Oh, you're not calling me Booze Guy anymore?" He quipped, grinning.

"Which would you prefer? I could call you Knowledgeable on Hogwarts' Secret Passageways Guy, but that seems a bit lengthy, don't you think?"

"Agreed. Fred it is," he patted his chest before continuing to speak. "We're having a little get together at our common room tonight to celebrate the successful completion of the first week of school. Would you like to come?"

"You lions will celebrate anything, won't you?" I chuckled, looking up at him. "I don't think your housemates would like that much."

"They can bugger off; it's none of their business," he spoke firmly.

"It kind of is their business, Fred. It's their common room."

"No, it's _my _common room," he grinned smugly. I raised my eyebrows at him, smirking.

"Okay, whatever you say, Fred. But if anybody says shit, I am sending them to you."

"Sounds fair," he agreed, waving as he turned into a hall away from me. "See you tonight, Chloe. Seven sharp!"

"Got it, Fred," I laughed, waving and returning to my common room.

When I told Veronica about the party, she just smirked and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making perverted comments until I kicked her out of the dorm. It was now 6:50 and I was dressed and ready to go. This was the first time besides the first night I had been able to wear something other than my uniform, so I embraced the opportunity. I was wearing one of my many underused sweaters that hung of my shoulder just a bit, some tight jeans and a nice pair of boots. I knew how to make myself look attractive. I hopped down the stairs out of the common room and into the hall, stopping short when I saw a familiar redheaded boy leaning against the wall.

"Aw, did you miss me?" I taunted, walking up to him smugly.

"Naw, I just figured you wouldn't be able to find your way to our common room without my help," he chuckled as we began walking.

"Seventh floor, Fat Lady," I spoke confidently.

"How did you know that?" Fred asked, clearly impressed.

"I'm observant," I rolled my eyes, picking up my pace as we ascended to the common room. Fred made me cover my ears again when he spoke the password, but led me inside confidently once the door to the common room was revealed.

"Chloe!" Jacob greeted, standing and giving me a hug.

"Hey, Jake," I chuckled, hugging him back.

"Der Bear!" I exclaimed when I saw Derek reclining in a chair. I ran over and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I told you not to call me that," he grumbled, but hugged me back anyway. I smirked and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Does that mean there are cute girls here?" I asked. His responding blush was my answer. I turned around to observe the common room and saw that Jake, Lee, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, a redheaded girl who looked to be related to the Weasleys, and some people I had never met were all scattered around the common room. Dean Thomas was also sat in the corner, scowling at the ground.

"She shouldn't be here," I heard him mutter, his scowl deepening.

"Fuck off, Thomas," I announced as I walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it. He huffed before storming up to his dorm.

"Hey, you guys, Harry and Ron," I called, motioning to the two boys sat at a table. "Where's your friend? Hermione?"

"Up in the dorms studying," Ron muttered, sneering the last word like it would kill him.

"It's only the first week of school," I replied.

"Exactly," Harry nodded and I just shook my head.

"Well, whatever floats her boat, I guess," I shrugged before Jacob spoke up again.

"Hey! Now that Chloe's here, we HAVE to play never have I ever," he jumped up excitedly.

"What? No, no. Definitely not," I argued, shaking my head and crossing my arms defiantly.

"Ahhh, come on, Chloe. Don't be a party pooper," Fred chided and I glared at him.

"Come on, Chloeeeeee," Jacob begged, pouting. I sighed before throwing my arms down into the couch.

"Fine! But we have to agree that it all stays here. No rumors, no telling secrets, nothing. Agreed?" I looked around and everyone muttered their agreement. We ended up pushing all the furniture to the side of the room and we all sat on the floor, forming a big circle around the common room, a shot glass in all our hands.

"Hey, you! Cute redhead who's probably related to these two shits," I motioned to the twins as I called out to the girl I had seen before. She was standing on the sidelines, her arms crossed over her chest. "You gonna play?" I asked scooting over a bit to try and make room for her.

"Ginny? No, absolutely not," Fred refused, shaking his head.

"Why not?" I asked with amusement in my voice.

"She's only thirteen!" he argued, fixing me with a pointed stare.

"Don't be such a prude! I lost my virginity at thirteen," I argued, and I heard someone across the room begin coughing while Fred's jaw dropped. "Oh, stop acting like you're all so innocent. Come on, Ginny, was it? You can sit next to me," I invited, patting the spot next to me. "I'll smack your brother is he acts like an ass, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, walking over and sitting next to me as I crawled to the table and grabbed her a shot glass. When I saw her up close I could see that she was biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing and I sent a smug smile at Fred who just glared at me. A boy suddenly spoke up, looking around nervously as his cheeks tinted pink.

"I've never played this before. How does it work?" he asked, averting his gaze to the floor.

"What's your name?" I asked, looking at him.

"N- Neville," he answered weakly.

"Well, Neville, it's simple, really. When it's your turn, you just say something you've never done, and anyone who has done it takes a shot," I said, shaking my shot glass for emphasis. "The point is to try and think of something you've never done that you think a lot of other people in the circle have to try and get as many people to take shots as possible. Technically, the person who takes the least shots wins, but we usually get too drunk to keep count, so it's really just for fun. We'll start over here so you can see how it's done, okay?" I asked and he nodded weakly. I looked at Fred expectantly and he continued to glare at me while filling his shot glass and handing me the bottle of alcohol. I smirked while filling my glass before passing the bottle along to Ginny. After everyone had filled their glasses the bottle was placed in the center of the circle so people could refill as needed.

"I'll start," Jake chimed in, leaning around Ginny to smirk at me. "Never have I ever slept with a member of the same sex."

"Define 'slept with'" I retorted, smirking back at him.

"Sex, Chloe," he chuckled, shaking his head at me.

Well, fuck. I lifted my shot glass to my mouth and swallowed the contents, leaning forward to grab the bottle and refill.

"You have got to be kidding me," Fred muttered from beside me and I smacked him in the arm before putting the bottle back in the center of the circle. Dammit, I was the only one who took a shot. I was losing already.

"You understand how it works, Ginny? You wanna go or do you want to skip and wait for it to be your turn again?" I asked, turning toward her.

"I got it," she smiled at me sweetly before turning back to the circle. "Never have I ever shagged anyone."

This time, a bunch of people around the circle took shots, including Fred.

"Well," I muttered, "looks like Mister Moral Perfection isn't so perfect, after all," I teased.

"Oh, shut it," he shot back and I couldn't help but laugh a bit. I thought about my confession as people refilled their glasses, trying to figure out something people here had probably done quite a bit. I grinned when I thought of a really good one.

"Never have I ever ridden a broom," I announced, looking admittedly smug.

"What?" Fred exclaimed beside me. "You've never ridden a broom before?"

"I can confirm that is accurate," Jacob answered. "They didn't require us to learn at our school."

Fred looked at me in disbelief while I smirked at him. "That's right, but you obviously have, Mister Gryffindor Beater, so drink up."

"How did you know I was on the Quidditch team?" He asked, surprised.

"People talk. Now stop stalling and take your shot," I replied, turning back to the circle.

The game continued on like that for a while. Fred admitted he had never brought a girl home to meet his family, George admitted he had never learned how to cook, Lee admitted he had never gotten a girl to date him without the help of the twins, and many other people admitted many other things. I got very, very drunk. I couldn't even remember what my second confession had been. I do, however, remember thinking that I should never play that game with so many people ever again.


	7. Chapter 7: Surprise

**Author's Note:** This chapter is kinda fluffy. Prepare yourself.

* * *

I awoke with a start, observing the unfamiliar surroundings and rubbing my eyes sleepily. I sat up slowly, stretching my arms over my head and looking around. I was on the couch, which was still pushed against the wall. Jacob was on the floor next to me, snoring comically. Derek was passed out in a chair, his legs hanging over the armrest and his head lolling off the other side. Everybody else seemed to have gone to their rooms. I stood, being careful not to step on Jacob, and stretched my whole body, trying to ignore the ache in my head.

"Somebody is up early after such a late night."

I stumbled a bit as I turned around, looking for the source of the voice. Fred was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and a smug expression on his face.

"How are you up so early?" I asked, my voice still thick and scratchy.

"George and I always take a potion to prevent hangovers before we start drinking. We made it ourselves. I was going to offer you some, but then you invited my thirteen year old sister to join a drinking game with us, so I changed my mind."

"You suck," I muttered, rubbing at my eyes again.

"Come on," he prompted, grabbing my shoulders and steering me toward the exit. "Let's get some food and coffee into you."

"Yes," I agreed wearily as he led me to the Great Hall, never letting go of my shoulder. He walked me over to the Gryffindor table and sat me down, sitting beside me.

"Here," he offered, piling my plate up with bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast and filling me a cup of coffee. "Cream and sugar?" He asked after setting the cup in front of me.

"A tiny bit of each," I instructed, beginning to eat my meal wholeheartedly.

"Here you are," he said as he mixed my coffee.

"Thank you," I patted his hand sloppily, still too out of it to really do anything else.

"No problem, Dear," he chuckled, watching me as I ate my meal. The food and coffee gone, my stomach full, and my head much clearer, I turned back to him.

"This really was very sweet, thank you," I reiterated.

"It wasn't too sweet, really. I did it with ulterior motives," he admitted, smiling at me.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" I asked with a smile of my own.

"I have plans for us today."

"What kind of plans?" I asked.

"Telling would ruin the surprise," he chuckled. "Now, come on," he ushered me up and I followed him to the front door of the castle, where he abruptly turned to me, causing me to almost run into him.

"Close your eyes," he demanded seriously.

"What?" I asked, still trying to find my footing from almost running into him.

"Your eyes: close them," he repeated, bringing his hand up to cover my eyes.

"Fine," I agreed, closing my eyes just before he removed his hand. He then grabbed my hand and led me out into the grounds. "No peeking," he called over his shoulder.

"I'm not," I reassured, laughing as I was led blindly. I don't know why I did it, honestly. It was pretty foolish to allow one of the biggest pranksters in the entire school to lead me to some mysterious location while I had my eyes closed. But, hindsight is always 20/20, I suppose.

"Okay," I heard his voice as we stopped. "Don't open your eyes yet. I'll be right back." I heard the grass beneath his feet as he walked away from me and I stood patiently waiting for him to return.

"You can open your eyes now," I jumped when his voice was suddenly right next to my ear. I spun around, opening my eyes to reveal Fred Weasley with a broom clutched in his fist. I looked around and realized he had led me to the Quidditch pitch.

"What's this?" I asked, eyeing the broom warily.

"We're going to ride it. I thought that much was obvious."

"No, I can't," I began to argue.

"Why not?" He interrupted.

"There's a reason I never learned how to fly, Fred," I answered, my vision flickering between the broom and his face.

"Aww, is feisty little Chloe scared?" he taunted, speaking as if I were a child.

"Shut up," I bit back, folding my arms over my chest.

"Aw, come on, Chloe, I didn't mean it. Look, I'll be right there behind you. I won't let anything happen to you; you have nothing to be afraid of," he reassured, taking a step toward me and ducking slightly so he could look me in the eye. I sighed, letting my arms fall to my sides.

"Okay," I muttered.

"You won't regret it, honestly," Fred grinned at me.

"I highly doubt that," I retorted, mounting the broom with trepidation. Fred climbed on behind me, leaning forward and grasping the broom in front of where I was sitting.

"You ready?" he asked, his face right next to mine. I nodded meekly. All of a sudden I felt the ground disappear from beneath my feet and I gasped, grasping onto the broom tightly. My heart was pounding in my chest and my palms were sweaty.

"Open your eyes," Fred whispered in my ear and I realized my eyes were indeed closed. I opened them slowly, letting out an unhappy groan and tightening my grip on the broomstick when I saw how high in the air we were. "Here," Fred offered, removing one hand from the broom and wrapping it tightly around my waist. "Better?" He asked and I nodded slightly, still looking at the ground. We began to move again and I fought to keep my eyes open as Fred maintained a rather slow pace around the pitch. All of a sudden, Fred sped up and we dove for the ground quickly. I yelped, grabbing onto his arm for dear life before we slowed down and I felt the ground beneath my feet again. I scrambled off the broom and turned around, glaring at Fred as he chuckled.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked, grinning at me with a mischievous glint in his eye. I scowled before turning on my heel and walking away from him. "Ah, Chloe, wait!" He called, and I stopped, waiting for him to catch up. "I was only messing with you. I was nice almost the whole time, wasn't I? And, look! You're perfectly okay."

"I'm not getting on that broom again," I stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm not asking you to. Thank you, for going on it in the first place," he smiled. "You really weren't so bad, honestly. I was expecting you to freak out more." I continued scowling at him until he sighed and held up his hands in defeat. "Fine. I will never force you onto another broom again. Just let me go put this one away and then we can go to lunch."

Lunch? I looked up at the sky and realized that the sun was indeed almost directly above us. I hadn't realized how late it was. Fred returned shortly, grinning like usual, and led me back to the Great Hall. When Fred and I walked into the Great Hall I couldn't help but laugh as I saw how disheveled the Gryffindor table was. It appeared as if most of the people who had been at the party last night had just woken up and trudged downstairs to eat. I walked over and sat next to Jacob and Fred sat beside me.

"Morning, Sleepyhead," I sang in Jacob's ear and he groaned, grabbing his head and lowering his face to the table.

"No," was all he said and I chuckled at him.

"Where were you two," George asked from across the table, a glint in his eye.

"I took our fine young Chloe out for her first broom ride," Fred announced.

"Ah," Lee piped up, "still using the broomstick to woo girls, I see?"

"It didn't work this time," Fred grimaced slightly. "I think she's more likely to kill me now, actually." I stuck my nose up in the air and huffed.

"I told you. There's a reason I had never ridden a broom."


	8. Chapter 8: Shopping

It was the beginning of October and damn near every student was gathered outside, awaiting the arrival of the students from other schools. It truly was a sight to behold: the carriage and the ship. The school was abuzz the whole day, discussing the beautiful women from Beauxbatons and the rugged men from Durmstrang. That night, I sat with Vanessa for dinner and she just continued to go on and on about how incredibly attractive the Durmstrang boys were. I agreed with her; the boys really were attractive, but there were other subjects to discuss. When Veronica finally noticed my lack of enthusiasm she huffed and turned to Bianca, who, of course, wholeheartedly jumped into the conversation. I rolled my eyes, laughing at the two of them. Draco was next to me, muttering and stabbing his dinner with his fork.

"Aww, is Draco jealous that he's not the hottest boy in school anymore?" I teased, pushing him playfully. He turned to me with a smirk.

"Are you insinuating I was once the hottest boy in school?" As soon as he finished his sentence, two especially attractive Durmstrang boys walked by and I couldn't help but stare.

"If you ever were," I replied, still distracted, "you aren't anymore."

Draco's smirk quickly turned back into a scowl and he resumed the assault on his dinner. I looked away from Draco in the hopes of ogling the attractive foreign boys when I noticed Fred conversing with the same ones I had been staring at. He caught my eye and winked before handing the boy a bottle of something. I noticed George seemed to be doing the same thing, handing the bottles out to all the Durmstrang boys, whispering to them as he did. Once all the bottles were handed out, the foreign students all exchanged glances before tipping their heads back and swallowing the contents of the bottle. Fred and George just looked on with smug expressions as all the Durmstrang boys erupted with various deformities, all of which made them considerably less attractive. I winced, looking back at my dinner and shaking my head with a chuckle. I didn't even notice Draco had leaned toward me until I heard his voice in my ear.

"Looks like I'm the hottest boy in school again." He winked as he stood and left the hall. I scoffed, finishing my dinner while trying to avoid the frantic formerly attractive boys scuttling about the Great Hall.

I was about to enter the Great Hall the next morning when I was abruptly pulled to the side. I looked up to see Fred staring down at me, a smirk on his face.

"So, what did you think of the prank?" He questioned coolly. A smirk made its way to my lips and I put my hand on my hip, tilting my head slightly

"I don't know, Weasley. It was a bit weak, if you ask me."

"Weak?!" He asked in disbelief. "How was it weak?"

"Seriously? All you did was make them ugly. Sure, it meant me and the rest of the female population of Hogwarts lost our eye candy, but it didn't exactly live up to your reputation."

"Eye candy?" He changed the subject smoothly and I chose not to torture him by acknowledging it. "You can't seriously tell me you find those guys attractive, Chloe."

"Um, have you seen those guys? They're like sex personified," I argued, looking up at him in disbelief. A small frown formed on his lips and a crease formed between his eyebrows before he took a small step away from me.

"Whatever. I have to go talk to George," he muttered before walking away.

"Tell him you guys should come up with a better prank," I called as he left, surprised that he didn't even turn around to glare at me. I shrugged it off, walking to the Great Hall to eat breakfast as originally intended. Fred didn't talk to me the rest of the day, but I figured it was just because he was annoyed I had insulted his prank.

I was sitting in the common room after dinner, working on some star charts for Astronomy when Veronica ran up to me, flustered.

"Have you heard?" She asked as soon as she was sitting beside me.

"What, that Madam Pomfrey made the Durmstrang boys attractive again? Yeah, but thanks for letting me know," I replied, barely looking up from my homework.

"No," she huffed, exasperated. "About the Yule Ball. We're going to host it here." I looked up at her, my eyebrow raised.

"You're getting all excited about a school dance?" I asked, amused.

"It's more than just a _dance_, Chloe. It's a ball," she corrected.

"Yeah, okay. Big difference," I muttered, looking back to my homework.

"There is a _huge_ difference. A ball is more refined and sophisticated. This is our chance to show the whole school what desirable women we are and maybe lure in some sexy Bulgarian boys," she winked and I rolled my eyes, chuckling. "Or," she continued, and I could hear the smirk in her voice, "perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to finally snag a certain cute redhead."

My hand paused momentarily over the chart I was working on, my grip on the pen tightening infinitesimally. "I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, but I could feel the blush working its way to my cheeks.

"Oh, yes you do. You can't lie to me, Chloe Masters. I know you have a thing for Fred Weasley."

"We're just friends, Ronnie," I lied. It was true. I very much _did_ have a thing for Fred, but I wasn't about to admit that to Veronica. Especially when I could barely admit it to myself. I was no good at relationships. They involved feelings and I had so much emotional baggage not even a giant could carry it all. Besides, I liked our friendship, and if we did get together and it ended badly, as many relationships do, I would not only lose my friendship with Fred but also endanger my friendships with George and Lee and all the other Gryffindors. I didn't think I was ready to take that kind of risk. And that was only if he returned my feelings; if he didn't…well, I wasn't ready for that kind of humiliation, either.

"Fine. Deny it all you want. We both know the truth. But if you're too pussy to make a move, maybe you _should _take a sexy Bulgarian to the ball to stir up some jealousy in him. Maybe that'll be enough to get him to finally stop dicking around and ask you out."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. One of the things I liked most about Veronica was her colorful language. It made every conversation so much more interesting. I sighed before changing the subject.

"So, is there a reason you ran up here excited besides to tell me about the dance?" I asked, shuffling my charts together and putting them away after completing them.

"Oh!" Veronica yelled, her excitement renewed. "Yes. I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me and Bianca on Saturday in Hogsmeade? We wanted to buy dresses for the _ball._"

"Sure," I agreed. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Saturday came quickly and before I knew it Bianca, Veronica and I were strolling around Gladrags searching for dresses.

"We don't even have dates yet," Bianca complained, "Maybe we shouldn't buy dresses now. I don't want to waste my money."

"What does you having a date have to do with you buying a dress?" I asked, observing a black dress closely before pulling it off the rack and hanging it over my arm with the two other dresses I wanted to try on.

"What am I going to do with a dress if I don't get a date?" She asked, pouting slightly.

"Uh, wear it to the dance," I answered bluntly. Bianca looked at me as if I had just grown another head. "Are you seriously saying you won't go to the ball unless you have a date?" I asked incredulously.

"Uh, why would I?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Are you kidding me?" I shook my head before turning to look directly at her. "If no guy asks you, you put on your sexy dress and you get all dolled up and take your ass down to that dance and show all those boys what they're missing," I said with a wink. A small smile formed on her lips before she nodded slightly.

"Okay. You're right," she agreed, returning to look through the racks with much more fervor than before. We shopped around for a few hours, trying on dress after dress before we all decided on what we wanted. Bianca chose a floor length black gown with an exposed back, which I had assured her would make any boy who didn't look at her before regret it. Veronica decided on a blue gown with a halter top and a long slit up the side (she assured me that would come in handy should she face any 'impromptu below the belt action'). I settled on a crimson dress with a plunging neckline and open back. The skirt reached to the floor in the back, but the front came to just below my knees. We all paid and made our way back to Hogwarts in high spirits, joking and laughing the whole way back.


	9. Chapter 9: Jealousy

It was a week before the ball and I still didn't have a date. Bianca had been asked by one of the Durmstrang boys and Jacob had surprised me by asking Veronica, an offer which she wholeheartedly accepted. I had been asked by a few people, one rather attractive Ravenclaw and two equally attractive boys from Durmstrang, but I had turned them down. I had really been hoping that Fred would ask me, but, to my dismay, he hadn't. Actually, he hadn't really been talking to me as much as usual lately. He was civil; he would say hello in the hallways and talk to me a bit during classes, but other than that he had been extremely distant. I wasn't sure why but it was really starting to bother me.

I was eating dinner in the Great Hall, pondering what I was going to do about my date situation, when Veronica approached me with a sad look on her face. She sat beside me and looked up at me with pity in her eyes. I looked around to make sure she was really looking at me before looking up at her in confusion.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" I asked, my eyebrow raised.

"So you haven't heard yet?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Heard what? What are you talking about?"

"I- I don't know if I want to be the one to tell you," she muttered, looking away from me. I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me.

"Just tell me, Veronica," I demanded.

"Well, it's Fred," she began.

"What? What about Fred; is he okay?" I asked, a worried edge to my voice.

"Yeah, he's fine, it's just, well," she paused, biting her lip before continuing, "he and Angelina Johnson are going to the ball together. Some say they're together, shagging, probably. I'm sorry, Chloe."

My stomach tightened uncomfortably and I looked at her, speechless. This would explain why Fred had been avoiding me. I bit my lip tightly. This was my own damn fault. I knew this would happen; it always did. This was why I avoided relationships and feelings. But, with Fred, I had actually let myself hope. I had hope that maybe we would eventually get together and things would be all right. I hadn't admitted that hope to myself yet, but the sinking feeling in my stomach only confirmed that I had been feeling it. My whole life I had been avoiding relationships so that I didn't have to feel this way, and here it was, the jealousy and despair I had been running from my whole life now had a firm grip on me. It was suffocating me, pushing the bile up from my stomach to drown me. I stood abruptly, stumbling a bit over my seat as I struggled to escape.

"Where are you going?" Veronica asked, looking at me with worried eyes.

"I, uh, I just need to be alone right now," I muttered, turning from her and walking as fast as I could out of the Great Hall. This decision turned out to be a huge mistake. As soon as the door closed behind me, I saw the two people I was feeling so upset about: Fred had Angelina pressed up against a wall, his tongue practically down her throat. The bile only rose further as the knot in my stomach grew and I made my way quickly up the stairs, unnoticed. I ran up the flights of stairs, seeking out the balcony Draco had taken me to at the beginning of the year. I had gone there many times since then; it was a place I could always go to think and it was very relaxing. I finally found the door and pushed it open, taking a few steps onto the balcony before I noticed the silhouette of a person. I looked up to see Draco leaning against the railing. He turned to look at me as the door shut behind me and my footsteps faltered as he stared at me.

"I, uh, I'm sorry," I apologized, stopping and beginning to retreat. "I didn't know anybody was here. I'll just uh, I'll go."

"No," he called out, stopping me in my tracks. "It's fine. Join me," he offered, motioning me over. I paused momentarily before slowly walking toward him. I sat down like I had the first time, dangling my legs over the edge. He sat down beside me and we sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry," I apologized again. "I didn't mean to interrupt your privacy. I just wanted to be alone to think. You were right; this place is good for that."

He hummed in agreement before replying. "It's fine; you didn't interrupt anything. I was merely enjoying the view." It was silent for a bit before he spoke again. "So, you want to talk about it?" He asked, turning to face me.

"You wouldn't want to hear about it; it's stupid girl stuff," I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Try me. I have nothing better to do," he pushed, tilting his head a bit.

"Fine," I agreed, "but don't say I didn't warn you. There was this guy that I uh, kinda liked, and I just found out that he's seeing someone else. And then I had the perfect timing to walk out of the Great Hall and see them kissing and it just, it sucks."

He nodded slightly before replying. "It's Fred Weasley isn't it?"

I looked at him with wide eyes. "How did you know?"

"I'm observant," he answered with a shrug.

"Well, yeah, it is. And he's been avoiding me lately and I was wondering why and I guess now I know. Like, I feel so pathetic. I've probably looked like a lost puppy chasing after him, and it's ridiculous. And then I saw him with his tongue down Angelina's throat and it made it so much worse. What does she have that I don't? Why didn't he choose me? See? This is why I don't do relationships. They involve feelings and all this other bullshit and it's just not worth it. I can't believe I even let myself start liking him, how damn stupid can I be? I was even stupid enough to turn down other people when they asked me to the ball because I was hoping he would ask me, and now I'm just going to look idiotic when I go to the dance alone and he's having the time of his life with Angelina," I sighed, shaking my head.

"Well, you could go to the ball with me," he replied, staring out at the scenery around us.

"What?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Go to the ball with me. That way you don't have to look bad," he reiterated, turning to face me.

"You would do that for me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? Not only would that get Pansy off my case, but do you know how much that would boost my reputation? Not only would I be going to the ball with a sixth year, but I'd be going with _you_. I would be a legend. Besides, I would never miss an opportunity to piss off a Weasley. "

"I don't understand what is so special about going with me," I chuckled, shaking my head at his last sentence.

"Have you seen yourself? You're gorgeous. All the guys are dying to ask you they're just too cowardly to actually do it," he smirked.

"Aw, so here comes brave Draco to save the day?" I teased, elbowing him softly.

"Exactly," he agreed with a smirk.

"Hmmm," I pretended to think the offer over. "Alright. I would love to go to the ball with you, Draco."

"Good," he nodded.

"Well," I continued, standing up, "I should probably go. I still have homework to do."

"Okay. Meet in the common room at seven?" He asked as I began walking away.

"What?" I asked, turning back to face him.

"The night of the ball. We can meet in the common room at seven. Is that acceptable?" He asked, turning to look at me again.

"Oh. Yeah, that sounds good to me. See you later, Draco," I called as I left the balcony and made my way to the common room. Fred and Angelina were still kissing in the Entrance Hall, but I passed by them with my head held high. I wasn't going to let that stupid redhead ruin my life.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry, had to do it. Every story need a bit of conflict, right? Everything can't be perfect. Don't worry. It'll get better. Eventually :P


	10. Chapter 10: The Ball

**Author's Note:** Smut warning. Yes, this chapter contains smut. I hope it's less awkward for you guys to read it than it was for me to write it. This is only my second attempt at writing smut so don't hate me if it's awful. And if you don't like smut, skip the last part of this chapter. You'll be able to guess what happened, I'm sure.

* * *

"So, are you finally going to tell us who your mystery date is?" Bianca called from her seat in front of the mirror. I was pulling on my dress and Veronica was putting on her shoes. It was the day of the ball and the three of us agreed to get ready together in mine and Veronica's dorm.

"You'll find out when we get down to the common room," I teased, slipping on my shoes and approaching the mirror to begin my hair and makeup. Bianca only scowled at me. "Hmm," I continued, ignoring Bianca and scrutinizing myself in the mirror. "What do you guys think I should do with my hair and makeup? I'm not sure."

"Your hair is gorgeous," Bianca spoke, shifting from angry to excited immediately. "Plus, the brown color really complements the red dress. I say leave it down, maybe add some light curl to it."

"I agree," Veronica spoke, walking over to look at me. "And wear a lighter shade of eye shadow. Maybe gold? That would complement the dress and make your green eyes pop. On top of that, I say dark lashes: mascara and eye liner is a must. And some bright red lipstick to finish it all off."

I nodded, smiling. "That's actually perfect, guys. Thanks," I agreed as I began to execute the plan the two girls had made for me. "Sorry, I haven't been to many formal events like this so I'm not really sure how to look, you know?"

"It's fine," Bianca reassured. "We can be your formal event gurus. Whoever this mystery guy is, he's going to be knocked off his feet."

We continued getting ready, giving each other pointers here and there. Bianca ended up curling her hair in tight curls and letting it fall down her back, along with dark eyes and bright lips. Veronica put her hair into an elegant bun and had really dark eyes with a lighter shade of lipstick.

"So, where are we meeting your guys' dates?" I asked as we made our way to the door and began descending the stairs toward the common room.

"We'll meet them in the Entrance Hall," Veronica answered and I nodded. It was seven on the dot, and I knew Draco would be waiting for me. He turned when he heard us walking down the stairs and I was quite surprised by what I saw.

Draco was in a black tux, a green tie around his neck. I had been expecting plain dress robes, honestly. His hair was mussed a bit instead of being slicked perfectly back like normal; I thought of how ironic it was that he would mess up his hair for a formal even when it was perfect on normal days, but I wasn't about to complain. It actually looked a lot better this way. He gave me a genuine smile when he saw me and that by itself made me smile back; Draco never smiled.

"Hey," he greeted once we reached the bottom of the stairs. "You look amazing," he complimented and I tried my hardest not to blush.

"You look pretty good yourself, Malfoy. You clean up well," I countered.

"Shall we?" He asked, offering his arm.

"Sure," I agreed, linking my arm through his and walking with him toward the exit to the common room. I turned over my shoulder and saw Bianca and Veronica gaping at me and I winked at them before we proceeded toward the Entrance Hall. We met Jacob and the Durmstrang boy whose name I didn't care enough to learn in the Entrance Hall. They were both dressed up nicely, and I was proud of Jacob when he greeted Veronica like a proper gentleman. He looked good, his sandy blonde hair immaculate and his green eyes shining. He sent me a smile, which I returned, before we made our way into the Great Hall where the ball was being held.

There were people everywhere. The band was playing music up on the stage and the dance floor was packed. Draco walked me over to an empty table before setting me down.

"Would you like anything to drink?" He asked, motioning toward the table where various snacks and drinks were.

"Sure, but I can get it myself," I said, beginning to stand up.

"No," Draco argued, placing his hand on my shoulder and applying pressure until I was sitting again. "I insist. It is my duty as your date," he winked at me before walking over toward the table. I chuckled, shaking my head as I watched him go.

"So, you and Malfoy, huh?" I turned to see Jake smirking down at me.

"We're not together; he just asked me as a friend," I informed him, smiling.

"Has he at least been nice?" He asked, a worried tone in his voice.

"He has been a proper gentleman, actually," I reassured. "He's been great."

"Okay. Just be careful. You know I worry about you, Chloe, and he doesn't have the best reputation."

"I am well aware, Jacob, but I am also capable of taking care of myself. Now stop wasting time with me and go dance with your date. I'm sure she's missing you," I chuckled and he nodded with a smile before leaving to find Veronica. I observed the dance floor while I waited for Draco, smiling when I saw Derek with his date. He was with a cute Ravenclaw girl, her light brown hair was curled and she was wearing a nice dress. His brown eyes were sparkling as they talked, and I could tell he really liked her.

Draco returned after a couple minutes with two drinks and handed me one.

"Thank you, Kind Sir," I teased, accepting the drink and taking a sip.

"You are welcome, Milady," he joked in return. We sat in silence for a few minutes, finishing our drinks, before a slow song came on.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, offering his hand.

"That would be lovely," I agreed, taking his hand and letting him lead me onto the floor. I was surprised; Draco was an amazing dancer. He led me around that dance floor like a damn expert and I laughed at how smug he seemed. After that first dance, all bets were off. We danced to every song that came on, and Draco seemed to know the perfect dance for every genre and beat and tempo and, no matter what, he was leading me around the dance floor like he had spent every day of his life doing this. It occurred to me that his rich parents had probably paid for him to have dancing lessons, but at the time it didn't really matter to me. I was surprised. I was actually enjoying myself. Draco would occasionally lean in while we were dancing and whisper in my ear about the people who were surrounding us, and we would laugh to ourselves as he twirled me around.

At one point, I recall seeing Fred. He was glaring at me and Draco as we danced but, surprisingly, I couldn't bring myself to care. I hadn't done anything wrong and I was having too much fun to let his stupid antics ruin my night. The night passed in a blur of drinks, snacks, and dancing. Draco was by my side the whole time, leading me around the dance floor or standing on the sidelines with me while we subtly made fun of the people around us: their dresses or hair or their complete inability to dance. After one especially showy move where Draco picked me up and spun me around, it seemed like every eye in the Great Hall was on us. I leaned into Draco once my feet were planted firmly on the floor.

"It seems like everyone is looking at us," I whispered, giggling slightly.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Want to get out of here?"

"Definitely," I nodded, and he grabbed my hand. We practically ran from the Great Hall, doubling over with laughter as we stumbled to the Slytherin common room. Draco was laughing so hard he had trouble saying the password when we arrived, but he eventually got it out and we entered into the common room. We both leaned on the couch for support once we entered, our laughs slowly dying down. Our laughter echoed in the silent common room; everyone was still at the ball, so the whole dorm was eerily empty. When I had finally regained my composure and caught my breath, I stood up straight and looked at Draco.

"Thank you. I had a really great time tonight," I smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, so did I," he agreed, looking up and meeting my eyes. Our gazes locked for a few minutes and we stared at each other silently. Before I could register the movement, Draco had closed the gap between us and crashed his lips onto mine. It took a moment for my brain to catch up with my body and when it did I realized I was already kissing him back. I didn't even really care if it was right or wrong; it felt _good_. He pushed me back against the wall and ran his tongue along my bottom lip. I opened my mouth for him and threaded my hands into his hair. He ran his hands along my sides, resting them on my hips. He pressed closer to me, his body pressed up tightly against mine. I hiked my leg and wrapped it around his, rolling my hips slightly. He groaned into my mouth and ground his hips into mine. I could feel his hardness through his pants and a moan escaped my throat before I could stop it. He lowered his hands to the bottom of my thighs and lifted me up, never breaking the kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me up the stairs toward his dorm. He fumbled with the doorknob before finally opening the door, kicking it closed behind him.

He tossed me onto the bed, pulling off my shoes before crawling on top of me and beginning to kiss me again. His hands ran up my legs as he crawled up my body, making me shiver. I kissed him back enthusiastically, bringing my hands up to begin removing his tie and jacket. He brought his hand up and began fondling my breast through my dress and I let out a heady moan, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt before practically tearing it off of him. I ran my hands along his bare back before breaking the kiss to lower my mouth to his neck. I began kissing and biting softly, sucking marks into his pale skin. He groaned, his grip on my breast tightening until he was frantically untying my dress from around my neck and pulling it off me. I gasped when the cool air touched my bare skin. I wasn't wearing a bra since the dress didn't really allow for one, and he quickly began kissing down my neck and chest, leaving dark bruises as he progressed.

My breathing accelerated as he reached my left breast. He kissed a circle around my nipple before slowly taking it into his mouth. I moaned loudly, arching my back to meet his mouth. I ran my fingers through his hair and he groaned as he continued to lap at my nipple, pausing to leave a bruise on my breast as well before moving over to my right breast and repeating his actions. My breathing was coming out in short gasps now, my chest rising and falling quickly. I could feel Draco smirk against my skin and I growled, winding my fingers tightly into his hair before tugging him up and reconnecting our mouths. I took control this time, dipping my tongue into his mouth before he had the chance to do it to me. I rolled him over until I was on top and quickly unbuttoned his pants and pulled them off, tossing them to the side before continuing to kiss him.

I moaned into the kiss as I could feel his erection more distinctly now that there were fewer layers of clothing between us. I reached down and hooked my fingers under the waistband of his boxers and pulled them off quickly, dispensing of them the same way I had his pants. I began kissing up his thighs slowly, relishing the breathy moans I could hear escaping his throat. I took a deep breath before taking his cock into my mouth and working him slowly. His fingers twisted in the sheets as he thrust up to meet me. I continued until he was gasping for breath, his muscles tightening. I quickly removed my underwear before suddenly pulling off his cock.

"Wha-" he began in protest, but it was quickly muffled by a loud moan as I climbed up his body and sank on to him. I began moving slowly, a smirk finding its way to my lips as I watched him come undone beneath me: his mouth hanging open with his ragged breathing, his fingers gripping the sheets so hard his knuckles turned white, his eyes half closed. He growled when he noticed my smirk and flipped me over, taking the lead again, a smirk of his own forming when he saw the look of surprise on my face. He began moving at a quicker pace than I had, biting and sucking on my neck hard and fondling my breasts roughly as his pace quickened. I felt the heat begin to coil deep in my stomach, tightening with every quick thrust Draco made.

"Oh, God," I began babbling incoherently as the heat built up in the pit of my stomach.

"Say my name," Draco demanded, pulling away from my neck to look me in the eyes.

"Oh, Draco," I moaned, digging my nails into his back.

"Again," he growled, lowering his forehead to mine. I smirked when I realized hearing me say his name was getting Draco off. I decided to have a little fun, and lifted my lips up to his ear.

"Oh, God, Draco," I moaned huskily. "Fuck me harder, Draco, you feel so good." The deep moan that escaped his throat only increased the heat in my belly and only a few moments later, we were both shaking as I called out his name and he collapsed on top of me, panting.

After our breathing had slowed and we had both relaxed, Draco rolled off of me and surprised me by wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into him, covering us with the blankets. He kissed my forehead softly, tightening his grip around my waist and resting his chin on top of my head.

"Good night, Chloe," he mumbled, his voice already thick with sleep.

"Good night, Draco," I replied, snuggling my face into his chest and quickly falling asleep.


End file.
